Numbers don’t lie. For the 2018-19 rice marketing year, imports are expected to comprise more than 24 percent of domestic rice use — a record, according to figures from U.S. Department of Agriculture ag economist Nathan Childs. Of that, most will be Thai jasmine. Just 20 years ago, imports made up about 8 percent of domestic use. Although some of ... Read More »
When you think about FFA, images of blue jackets, livestock showing and judging, public speaking and leadership may come to mind. Chances are rice is not among those. But the long-running Ruben Stringer Memorial Texas Rice Education Contest is designed to spark FFA students’ interest in the Texas rice industry east of Houston, says Mike Broussard, a vocational agriculture teacher ... Read More »
Using rice as a beer ingredient is nothing new. Brewers before Prohibition used the grain because it imparted a light, crisp taste and effervescence, and Anheuser Busch has been doing so for decades. But they all used rice as an adjunct ingredient and a starch source in addition to barley. Jim Eckert, owner of Eckert Malting and Brewing in Chico, ... Read More »
The 2018 rice season reminds me of Christmas. You rip into the boxes under the tree and can’t wait to go outside and try out your new toys. This year, rice producers received a number of presents in the form of a new herbicide-tolerant technology, a new herbicidal mode of action and three new jasmine-type varieties. Read More »
The Top 10 food trends for a given year are always amusing to read. What’s going to be hot and what’s going to be “not”? Read More »
Growing up, our parents would scold us if we were picking at the food on our plate during dinner. “You better clean your plate. Think of the poor starving kids in China.” Read More »
If you don’t tell the story of the rice industry, somebody else will, and you may not like what they say. That was the take-home message from two growers and a media expert who shared their experiences using social media to connect with consumers. Read More »
What’s in a name? Everything, if you’re the Washington, D.C.-based USA Rice. The organization has complained to the Food and Drug Administration that vegetable-based products that use “rice” in their name — such as Cauli Rice, Green Giant Riced Cauliflower, Trader Joe’s Rice Cauliflower and vegetable grower Apio’s Eat Smart Cauliflower Rice — are too confusing to the consumer. Read More »
Much like the late comedian, Rodney Dangerfield, gluten gets no respect. The naturally occurring protein found in wheat, barley and rye has been vilified and, at the very least, totally misunderstood. Read More »
Chuck Wilson, who manages the Rice Leadership Development Program and is director of The Rice Foundation, is like a proud father when one of his leadership graduates shines. In fact, he refers to the producers and allied industry members who have graduated the 28-year-old program as his “174 children.” Read More »
Rice Farming A One Grower Publication